First-ever Directors Guild of Canada B.C. District Council Directors Showcase Weekend set to take place this September in Vancouver

Members’ films will be screening at Vancity Theatre from September 7th to 9th

Vancouver, August 13, 2018 – The Directors Guild of Canada British Columbia (DGC BC), is pleased to announce an exciting new event for the film industry: The First Annual DGC BC Directors Guild of Canada B.C. District Council Directors Showcase Weekend. The event will be held in the weeks before VIFF and will showcase the work of B.C. Council members, both present and past. This anticipated first-time event will take place September 7, 8 & 9. All screenings will be held at the Vancity Theatre, Vancouver International Film Centre. Screenings will run Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with matinee and evening showtimes, along with receptions on the Friday and Saturday evenings between the movies.

The Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia District Council takes a great deal of pride in the work of all of our Members. With that established sense of pride in our colleagues, we are delighted to present a weekend filled with screenings of the works of Directors that reside here in British Columbia.

The contributions made by these filmmakers represent an effort and an expertise that equals some of the best cinematic work created anywhere. The films chosen for this premiere event run a gamut of styles, genres and eras. The contribution the DGC BC has chosen to make is to keep these films relevant in the public sphere by introducing them to new audiences, as well as offering the opportunity for many of us to reacquaint ourselves with them.

We invite you to join us for this weekend celebration of cinema, right here in Vancouver, with films from those artists who are colleagues to us in the DGC BC, and perhaps neighbours and friends to many of you.

This groundbreaking documentary explores our fascination with moving images and provides insight into how cinema’s most iconic moments came to be. Most of all, it honours the great masters of cinematography—unsung heroes whose vision and talent was always right before our eyes. Legendary cinematographers including Vittorio Storaro, Roger Deakins, Gordon Willis, and John Seale share their stories and some of cinema’s most memorable images.

Bye Bye Blues

Director Anne Wheeler’s most famous and honoured film is a delicate, upbeat and unapologetic World War II romance set to the music of a Prairie swing band. When her husband is transferred to Singapore, Daisy (Rebecca Jenkins) is deposited back home in Alberta with their two kids and an old piano. In need of work, Daisy starts playing with a local dance band. Photographed by Vic Sarin, this is an evocative, finely tuned romance.

Backbone: Vancouver Experimental Cinema 1967-1981

Celebrating artistic innovation in Vancouver from 1967 to 1981, this documentary follows a period when Canada was an international hub for experimental film. Vancouver artists, on Canada’s west coast, had a particularly dynamic scene that inspired an enduring body of work that resonates today. Featuring Alex MacKenzie, Dr Ron Burnett, Colin Browne, Stan Fox and Peg Campbell.

Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World

If you have never visited Haida Gwaii then this is a great place to start. Charles Wilkinson’s stunning cinematography vividly captures the raw beauty of this very special part of the world. It is also, of course, a battlefield, though Wilkinson finds reasons to hope that First Nations’ long-view of environmental sustainability can prevail over short-term economic interest. Audience Award winner: VIFF

Tank Girl

Decades before Fury Road, Lori Petty’s shaven headed Tank Girl waged post-apocalyptic rebellion in this film maudit based on the cult British comic book. Director Rachel Talalay (now of Dr Who fame) went all out in her determination to make “the ultimate grrrl movie”, only to suffer unkindly cuts from the studio brass. But even then, there’s nothing quite like this big, brash feminist action fantasy. Ice T plays a mutant kangaroo. Bjork, Joan Jett, and Devo mix it up on the soundtrack.

Eve and the Firehorse

In Julia Kwan’s award-winning first feature Eve is a precocious 9-year-old girl with a wild imagination growing up in a traditional Chinese immigrant family in Vancouver. Confucian doctrines, superstition and divine visions abound. When Buddhism and Catholicism are thrown into the mix, life for Eve and her 11-year-old sister escalates into a fantasia of catastrophe, sainthood and social confusion. “One of the most enchanting and memorable films made in this country.” Jennie Punter, Globe & Mail

On Putin’s Blacklist

Wonder how adoption became mixed up with human rights and US election conspiracies? Boris Ivanov’s lucid but enraging documentary is a depressing portrait of Russia today, where propaganda and demonization of the “other” result in institutionalized racism and homophobia, and innocent orphans are caught up in a cultural Cold War.

DGC BC Showcase: Short Films Program

The Wolf Who Came to Dinner: Bea Barkley is an eight-year-old horror fanatic with a serious problem: her mom’s brought her new boyfriend home to meet the family, and no-one but Bea seems to notice he’s a werewolf.

The Money Pet: After his mutt accidentally eats some loose change, a man is soon bewildered to discover that his furry companion has passed the currency with compounded interest.

Grave Decisions: not available

Crazy Late: Jimmy Smith wakes up 5 minutes late for his own wedding with 4 blocks between him and the rest of his life.

In the Deep: Jodi’s mother passed away five years ago, and since then, her father has pretty well stopped living himself. Arriving unannounced on his doorstep one day, with shattering news of her own, Jodi is determined to make the most of the time they have left.

The Directors Guild of Canada, B.C. District Council (DGC BC)

The Directors Guild of Canada, B.C. District Council (DGC BC) represents the creative and logistical personnel in the film and television industry in British Columbia. The DGC BC Collective Agreement covers the categories of Director, 2nd Unit Director, Production & Unit Manager, plus those employed in the various Assistant Director and Locations Departments. https://www.dgc.ca/en/british-columbia/www.dgcbc.com